tw: hormones
by Rustblood
Summary: Kankri is in Heat, and, /jeez/, Porrim, he doesn't need wrigglersat, he's how many sweeps old? Of course, she won't believe it, so he seeks a hiding spot somewhere she's likely to avoid: Cronus's hive. Unfortunately - or perhaps fortunately - it's mating season all around, and the Ampora only has so much self control. Especially when it comes to his flushcrush.
1. kankri ur hiding spot sucks

Kankri panted, a tinted sweat broken out on his forehead, hiding in one of the back corners of Cronus's hive. The older was out doing God-knows what, but it didn't matter, since this was one of the few places Porrim wouldn't find him.

Mating season. It hit the trolls in the dream bubbles as hard as those out, and this unfortunate sweep, it was Kankri's turn to have his Heat overlap with the week from Hell. It was just his bad luck that Porrim knew, and wanted to keep an eye on him during this "difficult time", and little to say, he was not interested in a babysitter. He would handle it on his own like he'd done in the past, by waiting it out.

"Chief, you in here? Porrim's tearin' the bubble apart tryin' to find you."

The Vantas cringed at the thought of Cronus locating him, curled up, trembling, in a pile of laundry. Obviously that couldn't be allowed to happen, but he let out a weak wheeze despite that, struggling to focus. It was just so hot…and he itched for contact, any contact.

"Kan?" He heard footsteps approach, and the laundry was peeled back to reveal the hot mess that was the Seer of Blood. "Oh. _Oh_. So that's why she's lookin' for you. Fuck, Kanny, you look like shit." Gentle, cool hands pressed against his face, and he let out an entirely vulgar moan, relishing in the lower body temperature of the Highblood. If he were feeling his best, he'd be ashamed, but as it was he simply leaned into the touch, not even bothering to open his eyes.

If he had he would have seen the vibrant blush that spread across his friend's face at the moan, but it was far too much effort to try to look at him right now. He just had to focus on surviving the next few days, which of course he would, if not for the sole reason that he was dead already. It would have been so much more preferable if this shit had ended when his life had.

"Kanny, I'm gonna lift you up. Don't freak out. I'm not gonna leave you in a pile of dirty clothes till your Heat is over, triggers or not." He spoke as he attempted to collect the dazed troll, who didn't respond except to cling to his cold friend, totally unconcerned with his usual dislike of physical contact. Anything that put him smack up against his wonderfully chilly companion was ideal. Anyway, he felt safe being held like this. Much less nerve-wracking than hiding in the dark, alone and overheated.

Kankri was settled down in something soft and broad, and a quick peek through his eyelashes confirmed it was the human bed Cronus had added to his bedroom. And then the wonderful cold arms were leaving him, and Kankri panicked, reaching out and grabbing handfuls of that stupid leather jacket his friend insisted on wearing, dragging him back. He probably wouldn't have been able to pull Cronus closer if the Ampora didn't want him to, but the element of surprise was on his side. "Don't leave," Kankri pleaded, claws digging into the firm fabric, and Cronus breathed in quickly, surprised.

"I'm not leaving, Kan," the Seadweller assured his friend, gently prying his hands from his jacket. "I'm just gonna go tell Porrim you're alright and get you something to drink. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Dismayed, the smaller troll let out a despairing sob at the prospect of being left alone again to be smothered by heat, making the Ampora freeze.

"You really don't want me to go?" Cronus murmured, and the bed shifted as he sat down next to Kankri, pressing his hand to the Cancer's forehead. "I'd come back, I swear."

"I don't care," the Seer mumbled, hands finding his free hand and tugging, like he was trying to convince him to join him in the bed. "You can't leave. Please. I'm so hot. Don't leave me." He would have rambled something about feeling triggered by his abandonment, but he couldn't quite summon the focus to do so.

Still, it accomplished the needed effect, and Cronus hesitated, rubbing his thumb reassuringly over the back of Kankri's hand. "I don't think you really want me in bed with you, Chief. You know what week it is."

"Cron_uss_," Kankri whined, tugging harder, and the Ampora offered a deep sigh.

"Fine. But keep your clothes on, or I'll leave." Kankri could tell pretty easily that he was full of shit; the Vantas could do practically anything and he wouldn't go. His voice completely lacked conviction, and, anyway, he would feel guilty leaving him alone in this state.

Nonetheless, Kankri refused to announce that he knew that, pressing himself flush against the Seadweller when the other boy finally crawled onto the bed with him. Burying his nose against his throat, he wasted zero time with inquiring to triggers, hands slipping up the white shirt. God, he was so wonderfully cold.

He felt Cronus tense at the actions, but he couldn't quite bring himself to care, a vocal purr rumbling up through his chest, finally, for the moment, satisfied. The Ampora relaxed again after a few seconds, wrapping his arms around his friend again and getting comfortable. Apparently he was more than willing, despite his brief protests, considering the quiet purr matching the mutant's.

Pleased, Kankri pressed his lips against his throat, offering a chaste kiss, before settling in to rest, eyelids fluttering shut, and breathing evening out.

Cronus sighed, reluctantly amused, his hand coming up to thread through his friend's thick hair, trying to focus on that instead of his rampaging hormones, closing his eyes in an attempt to sleep. It was hard; he was very aware that Kankri was pressed against him, oh so very willing. But he was not going to take advantage of his friend in this state. Was not.

He had some self control, thank you very much.


	2. kankri could u not

No self control, no self control. Abort, abort. Oh, God damnit. Cronus stared openly, a vibrant purple flush spread across his cheeks. This was really what he woke up to? Not that he was complaining, but he'd certainly not expected this shit, and really, it made things so much more difficult.

Kankri whined, a hand down his long, now unzipped pants, head tossed back to reveal an oh so tempting, unmarked throat. The Vantas apparently was entirely unconcerned with his audience, a trembling moan escaping him, and Cronus had to bite back his own whimper, a hand clapping over his mouth to muffle the noise. This wasn't fair. This was not fair in the slightest.

"Kan, stop," Cronus pleaded weakly, his other hand pressing to his crotch, trying to hide his struggling bulge. "You don't know what you're doin'." He couldn't, he couldn't, he couldn't. Kankri would never forgive him if he did what every instinct in his body told him to do. His flushcrush was there, submissive and practically begging him to take him as many times as he could, in the midst of mating season. It was killing him all over again to say no.

"Cronus," the Vantas groaned, evidently deciding to ignore him completely, practically writhing on the bed, and with a jolt the Seadweller realized he was close. Holy shit. Holy fuckingshitfuck, that was really hot, oh no, oh no. Focus on something else, he couldn't think about this and ohhh ~

Kankri opened his mouth to moan again when he suddenly found his lips otherwise occupied, a cool presence pinning him to the bed. A trill of pleasure slipped from his throat when Cronus moved to nip at his jawline, the sudden affection and change in temperature enough to send him over the edge, hips twitching as he came. The Highblood's name escaped in a jumbled mess of begging, Kankri's back arching best he could from his position under his friend, free hand clutching at his chest.

Cronus pressed a fond kiss to the recovering troll's cheek, before shifting off him once more, and Kankri offered an immediate protest, struggling into a sitting position at the loss of his touch. "C-Cronus!" His eyes were wide, dismayed, and the Ampora shook his head slightly, smile strained.

"That's all I'm gonna do, Chief. I'm not gonna take advantage of you."

Oh, no. Kankri immediately scowled, eyes narrowing. What a prick. Any other moment he was grabbing his ass, making lewd comments, but as soon as he wanted it? Oh, no, Kankri, it's not right for me to touch you like that. I'd be taking advantage of you, because clearly you're incapable of thinking for yourself. That was bullshit if he'd ever heard it, good heavens.

Moving quickly, and evidently uninterested in maintaining his vows in favor of getting over his Heat, the Vantas scrambled to push himself against Cronus. Pressing a clumsy kiss against his mouth, the mutant rocked his hips against the Bard's, well aware of his bulge struggling against the coarse fabric, grinding his ass against his lap. Cronus groaned into the kiss, unwilling to push him away, torn: he really seemed to want it, didn't he? And Cronus would be lying if he said he didn't want it, too. Would Kankri really blame him if something happened?

Yes. Yes, he would. He expected better from him. He was the only one who expected _anything_ from him, actually, beyond constant rudeness and a desperation to pail. He was not ruining his only real fucking friendship over a good lay, no matter how much he wanted it. And _oh_, did he want it.

It took all his willpower to pull away, firmly shifting the smaller troll off his lap, forcing himself to be gentle. "No. You're not thinkin' clearly, Kan."

Cronus flinched at the outraged expression that appeared on his friend's face, perfectly well aware he was uncomfortable and overheated and he was refusing to make him feel better. He knew it well, because the same fucking shit had happened when he was in Heat, sweeps before, and Kankri insisted on checking on him periodically. Of course, the Vantas had the good sense to keep his distance whenever possible, and certainly had offered zero encouragement to his frazzled hormones, despite the Ampora's many attempts at wooing him over the week. He'd even gotten physical once or twice, pinning the mutant against the wall or dragging him into a bruising kiss, but he'd tolerated literally none of it, throwing hissy fits till he was released, screeching trigger warnings and fighting his holds as hard as he could.

But that was the _point_. Yes, Cronus ached to touch the Vantas. Of _course_ he did; his friend was obscenely adorable, and he was ridiculously lonely, not even going into the timing. And yes, Kankri was obviously uncomfortable; all of them were, during their Heat. But if Kankri could control himself, he would certainly do the same for him.

A noble thought, and one that lasted approximately the four seconds it took for Kankri to shove his hand down his trousers and wrap his fingers around the squirming bulge.


	3. this isnt romantic ur both incompetent

Kankri woke up slowly, sore and tired and held close by a much cooler presence behind him. Tensing automatically, he refused to open his eyes, inhaling a shuddering breath. Shoot. Shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot. He was not laying in bed with Cronus, he was not, and when he looked around he would have all of his clothes on. Because it simply was not possible for him to have just spent… how long? With the Ampora. No, but seriously. How long had he been with him? He'd only been on the second day of his Heat, and if it was over, now… it had to have been several days.

Sitting up, he cringed at the ache from his hips, reluctant to look, but suspecting it was necessary. Carefully, the mutant pulled the covers away, hissing his displeasure at the dark bruises on his skin, as well as the dried, vibrant colors staining him. Everywhere. Brilliant.

"Looks like someone finally finished their Heat," Cronus mumbled, not bothering to lift his head from the pillow, and Kankri's back stiffened, a flush appearing rapidly on his cheeks. In a moment of pure malicious anger, he shoved his friend as hard as he could towards the edge of the bed, snarling wordless fury. Cronus seemed obviously surprised, unfortunately catching himself before he could fall off the mattress. Such a shame. Kankri had been hoping for impact. "Jeez, Kan! Not much of a good morning."

"Excuse you!" the Vantas snapped, dragging the blanket up to cover his body once more. "I don't know that you deserve any sort of good morning!"

"Whoa, Chief. I don't know if you're remembering this correctly, but you came on to me."

"I'm smaller than you, Cronus." His voice was flat, irritated. "You know perfectly well I was not in my right mind, and you could have removed me from your person easily."

"Woulda upset you." He frowned, sitting upright, unconcerned that the blanket fell to show his own mottled paint job, red smeared over his stomach from… Shoot. How embarrassing. "And it was mating season, Kan."

Ugh. Kankri opened his mouth to offer an acidic reply, only to be silenced with a concerned question.

"How's your shoulder doin'?"

"My shoulder? What are you?..." A glance found white bandages wrapped firmly around his shoulder, clean and crisp against grey skin. "What happened to my shoulder?"

Cronus coughed a bit, embarrassed, violet coloring his face. "I tried not to. It took a few rounds for me to slip up, and I'm real sorry, Kanny."

"What did you do?" the Seer didn't bother waiting for a response, reaching and literally ripping the covering off. "_Cronus_!"

"I didn't mean to, I swear! It just happened!" He caught Kankri's hands in his, though the Seer wasn't moving to hit him. "I stopped right away and cleaned you up, and I'm not even sure that you realized when it happened. You didn't even flinch!" Of course he hadn't flinched. If a troll was suitably aroused, they barely even noticed when their Highblood partner sank their teeth in and 'claimed' them.

The bite was actually healing fairly well, given the relatively short amount of time it had to heal. Clotted and clearly uninfected, there was zero blood on either his skin or the bandages, implying Cronus had changed them a few times over the past days, though the bruise still billowed out, and no doubt it would be painful if touched. And Kankri had zero hopes at all that it wasn't going to scar. Porrim was going to see it. Oh, no, _Porrim_ was going to see it and _know_, oh shoot, oh shoot, oh _shit_.

"Cronus," His tone was mortified, and the Aquarius winced, tightening his grip on his hands. "How am I going to hide this from Porrim?" His moirail was not going to be amused in the slightest, especially if she realized it had been done during Kankri's heat. And by not amused, he meant borderline murderous. She barely tolerated Cronus to begin with. This was going to send her over the edge, whomever initiated. Oh, no.

"I swear I didn't mean to, Kan. I don't know what came over me." Cronus bit his lower lip, fins drooped and brow creased, thumbs rubbing along the backs of Kankri's hands. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

"_Cronus_," Kankri's tone was begging, as though he could make the wound vanish if he pleaded hard enough. "Please tell me this did not happen. I _trusted_ you, Cronus! How could you do this?"

He didn't struggle as his friend pulled him against him in a helpless attempt to comfort and apologize, though the Vantas did sink his claws into bare skin as he was pulled closer. Not as any form of petty revenge, though; he was just terrified and confused and it was practically instinct to use his nails in such a situation. "Kanny, calm down, it's not that bad." Cronus ignored the small sting from the other's grip, pressing a reassuring kiss to the top of his head. "I never woulda done any of this if it hadn't been mating season, Kanny, I'm so sorry. You were just so cute, and you seemed more than willing..."

Kankri groaned, dismayed at his own blatant stupidity. Because Cronus was absolutely right; he had initiated. He had ground against his lap, desperate and pleading for him to help with his Heat. He had been touching himself, for God's sake! It was a blatant lie to say it hadn't been an attempt to seduce the other troll, coherent thoughts or not. And considering it was mating season, it was almost remarkable that the Ampora had held out as long as he did, especially as a - trigger warning, blood stereotyping - Highblood. They were known to be aggressive during this time. And at no point had Kankri been anything other than perfectly willing. He'd been enthusiastic about the entire chain of events, and if he weren't already interested in the flushed quadrant, his instincts wouldn't have encouraged it to that point.

Still, the Vantas didn't loosen his grip, cheeks burning crimson with shame. "I didn't want this," he whined, letting his forehead fall against his friend's shoulder, bottom lip coming out in a pout. This entire situation was absurd and he absolutely hated it. "You should have left me where you found me. I was perfectly fine there."

"You were hidin' in a pile of dirty laundry." Cronus pointed out mildly, running his fingers gently along the other boy's spine.

"Be quiet. I was fine."

The Ampora snorted a bit, pressing his lips to one nubby horn, pleased when, instead of tensing, the smaller troll finally relaxed against him, offering a deep sigh.

"...I apologize." Kankri reluctantly muttered, and he felt Cronus stiffen, evidently surprised.

"What for?"

The Vantas sighed again, shoulders slumping dejectedly. "I insisted on intimacy, despite your attempts at dissuading me, and then got angry with you for doing what I wanted. I apologize. It's my fault. I broke my vows, not you, and it was grossly unfair to put the blame on you."

"It's fine, Kan." The Aquarius relaxed again, palms pressing to the other troll's back, trying to coax a purr from his stressed companion. "You weren't really yourself. I knew you'd be pissed." He paused. "I think it was worth it, though." He felt Kankri's shoulders tense again, though the mutant remained silent, and Cronus grinned despite himself. "You were so cute, tellin' me you were flushed for me -"

"Stop talking!" He felt claws dig into his sides again, this time out of irritation, and fought a snicker.

"But Kan, are you sayin' you don't really feel that way?" his voice was mockingly horrified, an exaggerated gasp escaping. "I'm so hurt. Trigger warning, lov -"

"Stop!" Kankri shoved him hard, lifting his head to glare, cheeks burning. "I don't lie, and it is so obscenely rude of you to make a joke of this mess of a situation! Trigger warning, inconsiderate statements, red emotions, _asshole_ friend."

Stunned, Cronus didn't fight as the Vantas struggled away from him to scramble off the bed, hissing angry remarks under his breath as he stormed towards the adjoined bathroom, evidently familiar with the layout of his hive.

"I am going to clean this filth off me. Find another shower if you care to do the same."

Oh, fuck. He'd hurt his feelings; Kanny wasn't angry, he was upset, or he wouldn't be running. He stood and argued when he was simply mad, similarly to the bed incident before. And yeah, there went the door, slamming behind him, cutting off his view of the color-splashed troll and confirming his suspicions. Oh fucking fantastic; Cronus had just been trying to tease a bit, lighten the mood, and now he was sitting in his bed alone. He hadn't realized Kankri had…. well, wait a fucking second. He had meant it? He was genuinely red for him? Flushed as the stains on the sheets? Well, fuck. And he'd just chased him off. Practically falling off the bed in his haste, he staggered, half wrapped in sheets, to the shut door, lingering in front of it. He wanted to open it. Should he? The other boy probably wanted to be alone… but…. ugh. Fuck it. It was his house. And according to that bite on Kankri's shoulder, the Vantas was his, too, though he was aware that unless he wanted an earful he would be wise to keep that to himself.

"Kan?" The Ampora cautiously opened the door, and he saw the silhouette stiffen behind the frosted glass of separating them. "You okay?"

"I was perfectly fine until you thought it polite to enter while someone was bathing. It's extremely rude and thoughtless, and you didn't even knock." His voice wavered near the end, and with a jolt the Highblood realized his friend had been crying. Oh, God, he was such an idiot oh fuckfuckfuck. "Go away."

Yeah, that wasn't happening, and he slid open the shower door. Kankri was instantly on the defensive, sharp teeth bared and body tense, but his projected anger wasn't enough to keep humiliated tears from escaping over his cheeks. "I said leave, Cronus. I will not say it again."

Cronus stared at him, unsure how to approach. He'd never made him cry before. Kankri didn't cry. Ever. He had been one of the few who hadn't at some point during the Game, but then again, he'd avoided quadrants like the plague during the entire time, and after. So perhaps it wasn't such a shock that this perceived embarrassment would be so jarring to him. At a loss for anything else to do, the Ampora stepped into the shower, and instantly Kankri was stepping backwards, an attempt to keep distance.

"Don't touch me," the smaller troll snapped, pressing his back against the cold tile wall. "I'm warning you, Cronus. This is all highly triggering, and I am not in the mood."

"But -"

"Go away." Kankri snarled, pushing himself harder against the firm surface. "You're insensitive and I don't want to talk to you." Ouch. His bottom lip was trembling, and Cronus cringed, watching as the Vantas dropped his gaze to the floor, changing from defiant to miserable. "And my shoulder hurts. Go away."

"I just thought… I thought it musta been heat of the moment or somethin'," His fins sank, regretting the stupidity that had escaped him. He should have known better than to tease him about that. About any of what happened, when he was just calming down again. "I'm sorry, Kan, I didn't think you meant it."

"I have told you time and time again, Cronus!" When he lifted his eyes, his glare was back in place. "You are aware of how potentially triggering quadrant jokes are! Even in my… condition I _never_ would have made light of such a subject." He huffed a bit, lifting his nose in disdain, crossing his arms over his chest. "Not that it matters. Emotions aside, I never planned on informing you, because I prefer avoiding the mess that is romance. The only quadrant I reluctantly tolerate is pale, and that's simply because Porrim insists. Trigger warning; quadrant shaming, flush hate."

Oh. Oh. So he just wanted to pretend he never said anything?... yeah, okay, Cronus considered listening for about half a second. "But Kan," He stepped forward, into the spray of water. "We could keep it on the down low. And we wouldn't even need to pail or anythin', if you weren't comfor -"

"A little late for that, isn't it?" Kankri interjected mildly, and the Ampora chose to ignore him, continuing.

"And we wouldn't even really need to change much, we could just hang out more and hold hands and shit like that," His voice was pleading, and honestly, he was sort of connecting forgiveness with a relationship. He wasn't going to be satisfied unless the other boy agreed. "Please, Kan, I didn't mean to make you cry. I'll take it serious, I promise."

The Vantas bristled, offended all over again. "I was not crying!" Cronus made the wise choice to remain silent, and the Vantas settled down again after a few seconds, sighing heavily. "I don't know. I never planned for this to become open." And he had definitely never expected to pursue it in any way. "... I will consider it."

Evidently to Cronus, that meant yes, if the lips pressed to his were anything to go off. To the Ampora's credit, it was chaste and sweet, and only lasted a moment or two, which worked well for Kankri. He hated being held in place. Well. Usually. His Heat was the exception, but luckily that nightmare only happened once every twelve sweeps.

"Consideration is not consent, Cronus," Kankri scolded, ignoring the jump from his blood pusher, pressing his hand to the other troll's chest and pushing him back, the other coming to wipe the last of the red from his eye. "If you would please keep your hands to yourself, I would appreciate it greatly. I don't plan to have my skin stained violet forever."

"I dunno, I think it's a good look." The Ampora grinned at the doubtful snort he received, but obediently stepped back so his friend could clean off the genetic material splattered over his thighs and stomach. It would be worse, except this was probably the fourth or fifth bath in three days; he wasn't certain Kankri could really remember them well, but he'd been quite open to intimacy in all sorts of locations, and this had been a favorite.

But that was old news, and Cronus ignored Kankri's chastising as he dragged him into another kiss. Yes. Normal Kankri was definitely better.


End file.
